Automatic door locking device



Nov. 21, 1950 PlVERO 2,530,628

AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Flaz INVENTOR. FRANK 7. P/VERO w wQw AGENT Nov. 21, 1950 F. T. PIVERO 2,530,628

AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H6 7 FIG. a

230 17 22 N X i 200 FIG. /2

INVENTOR. FRANK IP/VERO Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKING DEVICE Frank T. Pivero, San Diego, Calif.

Application October 20, 1947, Serial No. 780,904

3 Claims.

My invention relates to an automatic door locking device, more particularly for use in connection with motor vehicles for preventing automobile doors or the like from becoming open when in transit and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide an automatic door locking device of this class which is particularly improved over my former application for Letters Patent for automatic door locking device for automobiles, Ser. No. 773,167, filed September 10, 1947.

Second to provide a, device of this class having novel valve means for controlling the vacuumatic operation of said device which permits the operator to simply press a button in the operator's compartment of the motor vehicle for releasing the automobile doors so that they may be opened in the conventional manner.

Third, to provide a device of this class having a novel door striker plate and a reinforcing plate provided with elongated openings therein surrounding the plungers of the locking device, whereby the door may be opened to the second step of the conventional latch without causing drag of the striker plate in its surrounding relationship with the locking plunger of said device.

Fourth, to provide a device of this class in which a solenoid actuated plunger is operated by a key switch permitting automatic locking of automobile doors when the operator thereof leaves the automobile so that said electrical key operated switch is employed in order to enter the automobile, whereby automobile doors may be automatically locked regardless of the negligence on the part of said operator who occasionally forgets to lock the doors.

Fifth, to provide a device of this class which is very simple and easy to install in connection with conventional automobile doors and door jambs.

Sixth, to provide a device of this class which is very positive and simple of operation.

Seventh, to provide a device of this class which is automatically in operation when the engine of the automobile to which it is attached is running.

Eighth, to provide a device of this class which is very simple and economical of construction, efiicient in operation and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions and a certain modification as will be hereinafter de- 2 scribed in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the ac companying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon forming a part of this application in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an automobile door and door jamb showing my automatic door locking device in connection therewith; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken from the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the operating valve used in connection with my automatic door locking .device and forming a part thereof; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the operating mechanism of my automatic door looking device; Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of an automobile door and jamb shown fragmentarily and illustrating in connection therewith a modified form of my automatic door locking device; Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;- Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 9-9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken from the line |Elli! of Fig. 7 showing parts in elevation to facilitate the illustration; Fig. 11 is a rear view of the structure as shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings taken from the line llll of Fig. 10 and Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring of the modified structure as shown in Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive.

Similar characters of reference refer to simi-- lar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

Door I, door jamb 2, striker plate 3 and reinforcing plate 4, cylinder 5, plunger 6, spring 1, cylinder cap 8, valve 9, valve casing I9, valve plunger H, and spring l2 constitute the principal parts and portions of my automatic door locking device as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings.

The door l and door jamb 2 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings are conventional in the structure of automobiles now in use and the striker plate 3, reinforcing plate 4 are connected to the outer and inner sides respectively of the wall is of the door I at its edge, as shown best in Fig. 2 of the drawings. It will be here noted that these plates Sand 4 provide the plunger-engaging plate means of my automatic door locking device. The striker plate 3, reinforcing plate 4 are provided with elongated openings 3a and 4a coinciding with each other and communicating with an opening it in the wall Ia of the door I and coinciding therewith. It will be noted that the openings 3a and 4a coinciding with the opening II) are all elongated horizontally and arranged to permit play of said openings 3a, 4a and It about the plunger 6 at its end portion 5a within the limits of travel permitted by the conventional step latch in connection with automobile doors, whereby opening of the door I to the second step of the latch leaves the plunger bolt portion 6a in untouched position within the openings to and 4a of the plates 3 and 4 due to the elongation of said openings 3a and 4a. The screws to extending through the plate 3 are threaded in the reinforcing plate 4 at the inner side of the wall I a at the edge of the .door I for holding said plate in a predetermined position. The cylinder 5, plunger 6, sprin I and cylinder cap 8 are similar in structure to my prior application hereinbefore set forth. Communicating with the cylinder 5 is a vacuum tube 5a which is connected to the valve casing it as shown best in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. Connected to the inlet of the valve I8 is a tube Illa which is connected to the automobile intake manifold A, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The valve casing I 8 is a hollow, cylindrical casing having a bore lab therein, in which the plunger II is reciprocally mounted. This plunger II is provided with a reduced stem lid on the outer end of which is positioned a thumb piece IIb. Surrounding the stem Ila is an O ring He, and in the opposite end of the plunger II is the spring i2 which tends to force the plunger into a position wherein the thumb piece IIb occupies the dash line position as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, whereby the tubes H20: and 5a communicate directly for evacuating the cylinders 5 and forcing the plunger o outwardly .into the position as shown in Fig. 2 of the draw ings. In the cylinder it is a vent opening ltc arranged to communicate with the tube 5a when the plunger II is in the solid line position as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Thevalve 9 is connected with one of the cylinders 5, controlling one door of the automobile as shown fragmentarily in Fig. l of the drawings, so that the automobile engine may be left running while the operator leaves the car and closes the doors. The valve 9 is provided with a plunger 9a operated at the outer side of the door jamb 2 so that the operator may open one of the doors of the automobile from the outside when the engine is running and forcing the plunger t outwardly into the solid line position as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The valve 9 is similar to the valve it] or may be a barrel valve ii desired for simply venting the cylinder 5 at one of the doors as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The operation of my automatic door locking device is substantially as follows:

When the engine in connection with the intake manifold A as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings is operating, all of the plungers 6 in the cylinders 5 are forced outwardly against compression of the springs l engaging said plungers 6. The door I, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, may be opened slightly in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 2 of the drawings, wherein the elongated openings to and la in the plates 3 and 4 pass over the plunger bolt portion until the door I reaches the second step of the conventional latch, wherein clearance of the bolt portion 6a is still maintained within the elongated openings 3a and 4a of the plates 3 and i,

permitting smooth retraction of the plunger 6 by the spring I when the vacuum in the intake manifold A ceases due to discontinued operation of the motor in connection with said manifold A. This clearance of the openings 3a and 4a of the plates 3 and 4 with the bolt Bd of the plunger 6 is also necessary when the thumb piece I lb of the plunger I I is depressed, forcing the plunger II into the solid line position as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings for venting one of the cylinders 5 through the hole I lie and tube 5a respectively. The valve i8 is normally placed on the instrument panel of the operators compartment of the vehicle so that all of the doors may be released by the plungers 6 and opened in the conventional manner as desired. The valve 9 is only used to gain entrance to the automobile from the outside thereof when the engine of the automobile is running, creating vacuum in the intake manifold A, all as hereinbefore described.

In the modification as shown in Figs. '7 to 12 inclusive of the drawings, the parts are designated as follows:

The door I3, door jamb l4, striker plate i5, reinforcing plate I6, cylinder ITI, plunger 58, spring I9, switches Zll and 2|, solenoid 22 and the cap and stop member 23. The door I3, door jamb Hi and plate I 5 and reinforcing plate it are all similar to the structure hereinbefore described in connection with Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings. The cylinder I'l houses the solenoid 22 which is electrically operative in connection with the plunger 58 having a stop flange 18a arranged to abut the end of the cylindrical portion 23a of the cap and stop member 23 which closes the end of the cylinder IT. The spring it! tends to force the plunger I8 outwardly in a similar manner to the structure of my prior application for Letters Patent as hereinbefore set forth.

The switch 2!! is secured in the outer side wall Ma of the door jamb I4 and is provided with a tumbler lock portion 20a having a stationary contact portion 28b mounted thereon, engageable with the movable contact portion 280 operated on the axis pin 26d of the tumbler lock portion 26a which is operated by a key at the entrance side 2&6, all as shown best in Figs. 16 and 11 of the drawings. This switch 29 being operated by a key is employed for the purpose of gaining entrance to the automobile from the outside thereof when all of the springs ES are forcing the plungers 98 into the plates i 5 and E5 in the door I3 all as shown best in Figs. 8, 10 and 11 of the drawings.

The switches 20 and 2! are connected to an electrical circuit, which is shown in Fig. 12, this circuit including a battery, which may be the storage battery of an automobile and may be suitably grounded to the frame of the automobile. The switches are also suitably connected through this circuit to the solenoids 22, enclosed in the various cylinders I1, as shown in 12, these solenoids also being suitably grounded to the frame of the automobile.

In the operation of the modified form of automatic door locking device as shown in Figs. 7 to 12 inclusive of the drawings, I have provided a manually operated switch 2i which is arranged to momentarily retract all of the plungers i8 by means of the solenoids 22 when it is desired to open any of the automobile doors I3 in the conventional manner. This switch 2i is accessible at the inner side of the automobile body. The switch 23, as hereinbefore described and disclosed in Figs. 10 and 11, is used to gain entrance to the automobile body from the outside thereof.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions and a certain modification, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement nor to the modification, but desire to include in the scope of my invention, the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic door locking device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of vacuum cylinders, plungers in said cylinders, plunger-engaging plate means adapted to be connected with doors, said plate means having elongated openings therein adapted to surround said plungers permitting substantial opening of the door Withoutretraction of said plungers.

2. In an automatic door locking device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of vacuum cylinders, plungers in said cylinders, plunger-engaging plate means adapted to be connected with doors, said plate means having elongated openings therein adapted to surround said plungers permitting substantial opening of the door without retraction of said plungers, springs arranged to retract said plungers, valve means communicating with said cylinders arranged to vent the same and permit said springs to retract said plungers.

3. In an automatic door locking device of the class described, the combination of a reciprocal plunger having a stationary axis, plunger-engaging plate means connected to a door and having a plunger receiving portion extending laterally of the door a greater distance than the diameter of said plunger, and thereby permitting a certain movement of said plunger-engaging plate means laterally of said plunger after said plunger is received by said plunger-engaging plate means.

FRANK T. PIVERO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,154,439 Scholfield et a1 Sept. 21, 1915 1,262,651 David Apr. 16, 1918 1,675,155 Bremer June 26, 1928 2,123,107 Hodos July 5, 1938 2,149,695 Wilhelm Mar. 7 1939 

